Rice edged toward the door, his gaze darting to Austin. “Nah, it’s all right. I can come by later this week.”
“You may as well sit,” Austin muttered. “You drove all the way here.”
His uncle looked surprised. “Are you sure?”
In response, Austin stiffly gestured to one of the empty chairs.
After a serious show of reluctance, Rice rubbed his palms on the front of his faded jeans and sat in the chair across from Austin’s. Eyeing the other man, Austin couldn’t help but notice how youthful he looked. And he was still in great shape thanks to years of manual labor at Paradise’s paper mill. Austin knew Rice was in his mid-fifties, but he appeared two decades younger.
As Della went to the coffee maker, the two men watched each other uneasily. The silence was eventually broken by Rice’s heavy sigh. “Let’s just clear the air, then.”
“You mean you’re finally willing to stop pretending the truth didn’t come out?” Austin couldn’t keep the sarcasm out of his voice. “Because you’ve done a damn good job of avoiding the subject this year.”
“I was waiting for you to come to me,” Rice admitted. “But you never did.”
He shook his head in disbelief. “It wasn’t my place to come to you, for chrissake.”
“I was trying to give you time, damn it.” Looking frustrated, Rice softened his tone. “I’m sure you have a ton of questions for me. So go ahead and ask them.”
“I only have one,” he said evenly. “Why didn’t you step up and claim me as your kid?”
Rice met his accusatory gaze head-on. “Because your mother and I decided it would cause more harm than good.”
Della returned to the table, handed Rice a steaming mug, and turned to Austin with imploring brown eyes. “He’s being overly kind. It was my decision to let you believe that Henry was your father.”
“And I supported that decision,” Rice said firmly. “Henry’s temper was notorious. Who knows how that son of a bitch would’ve reacted if he found out we had an affair.”
Discomfort lodged in Austin’s chest as he suddenly envisioned his mother and uncle in bed together. The image induced a rush of nausea, so he promptly pushed it right out of his head.
“We made our choice,” Rice went on. “And despite my brother’s shitty parenting, you had a mother who adored you and an uncle who tried his damn hardest to show you that not all men were like Henry.”
Austin shot him a bitter look. “I think I would have preferred a good father to a fun uncle, Rice.”
“I know.” Remorse flickered in those green eyes, so much like his own. “But like I said, we made our choice, and there’s nothing any of us can do to change it now. All we can do is move forward.”
As Rice and Della exchanged a look of solidarity, an unwelcome thought occurred to him. “Are the two of you still involved?” he asked warily.
They were both quick to shake their heads.
“Like I told you, the affair ended once your father came back that summer,” Della maintained.
“Your mother and I are friends,” Rice added. “As we’ve always been, and as we’ll always be. And…you’re our son.” The man looked increasingly nervous, his gruff voice cracking slightly. “I’d like to try to be a father to you, Austin. I know it’s probably too late, and you’ll probably tell me to fuck off, but I want you to know I’m here for you. I want us to have a relationship, if that’s in any way possible.”
Austin’s heart twisted in his chest, and for one brief moment, he experienced a sense of longing. Christ, what he wouldn’t have given for a dad like Rice growing up.
But instead, he’d gotten Henry Bishop, a man who’d been completely indifferent to his sons, who acted like they didn’t exist half the time.
The memory evoked a rush of resentment. “You had the opportunity to be there for me years ago but you passed,” he said dully. “I think the father ship has sailed, Uncle Rice.”
Rice’s expression became strained. “I understand.”
Della, however, wasn’t as accepting of that response. “Austin, he’s trying to make amends. What’s the harm in giving him a chance?”
“He had his chance.” With that, Austin scraped back his chair and got to his feet. “I’ve gotta go.”
“Austin—” Della protested.
“Let him go, Del,” Rice said.
Austin fixed his gaze on his mom. “I heard what he had to say, okay? But we can’t just snap our fingers and suddenly become father and son.” A tired breath slipped out. “I’m trying here, Mom. I really am.”
Sorrow washed over her face. “I know.”